Doughnuts are definitely in the sweet treats hall of fame. With their signature circular shape, this dessert staple is hard to resist. One of my personal favorites is the french cruller. Different from many of the other kinds of doughnuts, the french cruller has light and airy inside its harder shell that's usually covered in a sweet glaze. It's simply delicious! (And especially with my mini crullers, they are not as heavy as regular cake or yeast doughnuts).

The good news is that they are also pretty simple to make (and a lot of fun to as well). Essentially, a french cruller is fried pate a choux dough, which is the same kind of dough used to make eclairs (such as my Pumpkin Pie Eclairs) and cream puffs.

Mini French Crullers are simple, cute, and deliciously light and airy. In other words, there is no excuse to not have these cooking up in your kitchen. And when you do, leave a comment and let me know how it turns out!

So, let's get crulling! :)

Step 1: Ingredients

For these delicious sweet treats, you will need:

1 cup water
6 tablesponns coconut oil
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
135 grams (1 cup) all-purpose flour
3 large eggs
2 large egg whites

You will also need vegetable oil for frying as well as ingredients for a glaze. I just used sweetened condensed milk but be creative! Try a glaze with raspberry reduction and icing or a chocolate ganache. The possibilities are endless.

Also, you all are wondering why I used coconut oil (you can substitute the same amount of butter for coconut oil) in my recipe. It is actually a really great and healthy butter substitute. I found out that it boosts immune systems, helps maintain blood sugar levels, reduce cholesterol, and many other awesome health related benefits. So try it out! Feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions on where to find it.

Step 2: Heating It Up

Make sure to have already measured out your flour and have it on hand when you are at the stove! Combine the coconut oil, sugar, salt, and water into a medium saucepan. Heat up the mixture on medium-high heat.

Step 3: Combine

Once it comes to a rapid boil, immediately add your flour and stir for 3-4 minutes. The flour should be incorporated well. Take the saucepan off the stove when you see a thin film coat the bottom of your saucepan as seen in the second picture.

Step 4: Mixing It Up

Add the flour mixture to a mixing bowl and beat the mixture on medium speed to cool it down. Then add in your whole eggs, one at a time, until all three are incorporated. After, add in the egg whites and mix until you see the mixture become slightly glossy.

To test if the mixture is ready for piping, pinch some between your fingers and it should make a firm peak.

Step 5: Piping

Cut out sheets of parchment paper to the size you want each mini french cruller to be and take out a pastry bag with a star tip (You should be able to get one in the cake decorating aisle in your local grocery store). The star tip is what makes that famous cruller shape that we all love. This recipe also works for full sized french crullers. The only difference is for a full sized cruller, you would need a larger star tip for piping.

Pipe the mixture you have made into a circle on the cut out pieces of parchment paper. Mine were about one inch in diameter. So cute!

Step 6: Frying

Heat up your vegetable oil to 370 degrees Fahrenheit. Then take your piped french cruller on your parchment paper, and put it in the oil with the dough side down. The parchment paper will come off in a few seconds, and you can use tongs to remove it from the oil.

Fry each side of the cruller for 3-4 minutes or until they are golden brown. Then remove the crullers from the oil and place them onto a paper towel or drying rack.

Step 7: Finish!

Now you have finished your batch of the cutest french crullers! You definitely won't regret devouring these delicious light and airy bite-sized doughnuts (especially with the extra health kick from the coconut oil).

Mini French Crullers are perfect for a light dessert after a meal or even an afternoon snack! They are awesomely versatile. Dress them up with glaze and sprinkles or dress them down with just some powdered sugar, these little desserts bring amazing to anyone's taste buds.